Another Visit to Oakland

Back in August, I wrote about a recent visit to Oakland.  (Click here to see that post.)  Recently we had occasion to spend an afternoon wandering through Oakland's neighborhoods before meeting family for dinner.  We strolled along Grand and Lakeshore Avenues and Piedmont Avenue as well as along College Avenue in the  Rockridge neighborhood.  Grand Avenue was the least interesting of the three commercial districts;although, it is home to the Grand Lake Theater, one of the Bay Area's few remaining movie palaces.  Rockridge had the most interesting shops and is home to one of our favorite food emporiums, the Rockridge Market Hall.  Here you can find amazing selections of cheese, baked goods, wines, pasta, and other delicious goodies.  Feeling the need for some wine and nourishment after our long walk, we stopped in the adjoining Oliveto Cafe for some red wine and nibbles.

When it was time for dinner we headed over to the upcoming area near 19th and Broadway for some southern influenced food at Pican  All three of us enjoyed our dinners of smoked brisket meatloaf, southern sopes, and low country shrimp and grits.  Since southern cuisine is hard to find in the Bay Area, we'll definitely be returning to Pican.

As in my last post on Oakland, I can't recommend that visitors to San Francisco make a special trip across the Bay but, if you find yourself in Oakland, there's good food and interesting neighborhoods.